7-year-old Sydney Morgan inspects a Sig Sauer pistol, during day 1 of the 142nd NRA annual meetings and exhibits, Friday, May 3, 2013 at the George R Brown convention center in (TODD SPOTH FOR THE CHRONICLE)

Regarding "Background checks are key to gun safety" (Page B7, Saturday), Vice President Joe Biden urges Congress not to be swayed by the NRA. Biden talks of the NRA as if it were just an independent group representing only their values and are a pariah.

What the NRA is, is the voice of and defender of millions of Americans and their rights. They have families, jobs, real responsibilities and they vote. Each of the millions of members have extended families that possibly feel the same way as those that are members of the NRA.

In other words, when Biden tells Congress to ignore the NRA, he is in essence saying: Ignore those voters. Vote with me and my ideology. Ignore the Constitution, and pass this piece of legislation because, "it is the right thing to do."

Regarding "Houston GOP determined to make guns in classrooms legal" (Page B1, Saturday), as a retired teacher I am appalled at the idea of allowing guns at school. No good can come of that. It would take bullying to a whole new level.

Young people are quite subject to emotional reactions and would not take time to think before firing. Even if the gun is brought only by teachers, the students could discover it and take it.

Regarding "Americans can thank guns for their freedoms" (Page B9, Friday), Ted Nugent says guns represent freedom every bit as much as our other constitutional rights, adding that without guns, there would be no America, no Texas.

Nugent offers no examples how Second Amendment guns are involved in the freedoms we have in the U.S. that are based on our Constitution. There is no historical connection of Second Amendment guns involved in the wars we fought to preserve our freedom - except for guns involved in the War of Independence in 1776, before we had a Second Amendment.

Nugent claims that the "NRA's sole purpose is to protect the Second Amendment," but he doesn't explain why that protection is needed.

In 2007, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled a new interpretation of the Second Amendment to allow individual ownership of guns, but subject to limitations by law.

All our amendments are subject to limitations - limitations on freedom of speech, for example.

When Nugent expresses his opinion that more gun laws are not required, he is forgetting that society has a right to make that a limitation on the Second Amendment.